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		<title>Chris Baldwin</title>
						<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin</link>
				<description>TravelGolf.com blogger Chris Baldwin on PGA and LPGA stars like Woods and Wie. Also: His golf travels.</description>
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					<title>If Barack Obama can become president, you can love the 9-hole Northwood course</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/11/06/if_barack_obama_can_become_president_you</link>
					<pubDate>Fri,  7 Nov 2008 02:33:21 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7128@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>It&#8217;s good to see that the historic presidential victory of Barack Obama is being placed in the proper prospective. On sports talk radio in Northern California the day after that meant hosts and callers alike asking, &#8220;If Barack Obama can ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s good to see that the historic presidential victory of <a href="http://www.badgolfer.com/departments/features/barack-obama-tiger-woods-design-golf-resorts-satire-7863.htm">Barack Obama</a> is being placed in the proper prospective. On sports talk radio in Northern California the day after that meant hosts and callers alike asking, &#8220;If Barack Obama can become president, why can&#8217;t the Golden State Warriors win?&#8221;</p>

<p>Say what?</p>

<p>Of course, that&#8217;s better than the silly tizzy over <a href="http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/a-line/michelle-obamas-election-night-dress/84;_ylt=AsJdJ2Szj_I.pJsfUPqUkOgazJV4">Michelle Obama&#8217;s</a> dress. Now, I&#8217;m not Mr. Blackwell by any means - or even TravelGolf.com&#8217;s version <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker">Brandon Tucker</a> who I expect to tout the merits of <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2007/12/09/a_12_foot_reason_in_favor_of_golf_carts_">alligator golf shoes</a> and a lime green poka dot golf bag any day now - but I thought the dress was fine. So no dress banter.</p>

<p>But it&#8217;s not hard not to embrace the new language of hope. So &#8230; If Barack Obama can become president, you can love a nine hole golf course.</p>

<p>Nine hole courses are too often disregarded as golf&#8217;s version of fast food. You may go play one, but you don&#8217;t take it seriously or expect it to be that good.</p>

<p>Well, in Sonoma County, California - wine country - there&#8217;s a nine hole course that&#8217;s a must play if you&#8217;re anywhere close in Northern California. First, it&#8217;s an Alister MacKenzie design. Second, and even more importantly (sorry course architecture geeks), it&#8217;s in one of the most striking settings you&#8217;ll ever see with the course running through a forest of redwoods that stretch 110 feet high and have trunks larger around than an SUV.</p>

<p>You spend the two hours playing, staring up in wonder. And when a ball hits these trees - and several of yours will, there are some tight driving lanes - the redwood is coming out a lot better from the confrontation than the ball. You&#8217;ll see golf balls crumple at Northwood.</p>

<p>When you&#8217;re done with the nine - with plenty of time to do something else that day, after not enough time on the course for your spouse or kids who don&#8217;t love golf quite as much as you do to complain - you get one of Northwood&#8217;s self serve hot dogs from the grill.</p>

<p>If you like golf at all and you don&#8217;t love this nine hole course, you must hold the taste of Leona Helmsley. For the complete review of Northwood and more on Sonoma County, stay tuned to <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/">TravelGolf.com</a> in the coming weeks, months and decades.</p>
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					<title>Even if the Philadelphia Phillies blow this World Series take heart  fat heads, there's still good golf</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/29/even_if_the_philadelphia_phillies_blow_t</link>
					<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:30:06 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7108@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>Sure, thanks to Mother Nature (that global warming sure disappears an awful lot) and the bungling incompetence of commissioner Bud Selig, the Philadelphia Phillies may just blow a World Series they should have already won. This will surely send all ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sure, thanks to Mother Nature (that global warming sure disappears an awful lot) and the bungling incompetence of commissioner Bud Selig, the Philadelphia Phillies may just blow a World Series they should have already won. This will surely send all of Philadelphia&#8217;s fat fans (it&#8217;s the fattest major city in the U.S. if you hadn&#8217;t heard) into near apoplectic fits. (OK, forget the near). Considering how often Philadelphia fans cry about not having won a championship in any of the four major sports in 25 years.</p>

<p>But take heart <a href="http://www.pennsylvaniagolf.com/features/philadelphia-off-course-city-guide-1470.htm">Philadelphians</a>.</p>

<p>Even if JRoll and Ryan Howard go down as members of one of the biggest choke teams in sports history (and that would be a shame and injustice in their case), there is a silver lining. And no, not the fact that if the Tampa Bay Rays come back and win a suspended Game 5 that is going to stretch over at least three days and then the series, you&#8217;ll have a fable to stack up with Cubs&#8217; damn billy goat.</p>

<p>The real good news is that Philadelphia is finally being recognized for its good golf.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum/2007/12/31/will_tiger_woods_pull_a_new_england_patr_2008">Tiger Woods</a> is bringing his tournament, the AT&amp;T National, to Philadelphia (or at least the suburbs) for two years starting in 2010. Thus, a city that actually has much more numerous good public golf options around it then New York City will host the PGA Tour for the first time since 2002 (albeit at a private course). </p>

<p>Still, the resulting publicity will certainly make more golfers at least aware of Philadelphia. It might even make them notice good Philly courses like <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/departments/coursereviews/pennsylvania/broad-run-golfers-club-philadelphia-west-chester-pennsylvania-5836.htm">Broad Run</a>, one of my favorites - a rollicking Rees Jones design in West Chester that includes a 102-foot drop to the green on the par 3 17th.</p>

<p>Surely, that&#8217;s plenty of solace for a potentially blown championship. Right?</p>
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					<title>Sergio Garcia shows some grown up class in dedicating win to cancer-stricken countryman Seve Ballesteros</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/27/sergio_garcia_shows_some_grown_up_class_</link>
					<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:07:21 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7102@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>Sergio Garcia showed signs all summer of finally wanting to grow up at age 29. He couldn&#8217;t have been more classy in congratulating Charlie Wi for a 50-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship, making a journeyman ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/08/10/pga_championship_winner_padraig_harringt_16">Sergio Garcia</a> showed signs all summer of finally wanting to grow up at age 29. He couldn&#8217;t have been more classy in congratulating Charlie Wi for a 50-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship, making a journeyman feel great - even as his own heart was breaking from blowing another major he should have won. Garcia seemed determined to take the high road at Oakland Hills in his first two TV interviews too, but then he morphed back into the old petulant Sergio with the print media, chalking up some of Padraig Harrington&#8217;s gutsy comeback and his own collapse to luck and bad breaks.</p>

<p>Sergio came so close so often to being a good loser - until he&#8217;d yank it all away and be the spoiled brat of a childhood that&#8217;s approaching its third decade now. His ridiculous premature celebration on the first playoff hole of the first FedEx Cup event in New Jersey comes to mind.</p>

<p>But maybe, just maybe, Sergio is maturing after all.</p>

<p>His comments after his win today in Spain - a tournament where he was almost as good a host-like figure as <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/08/10/pga_championship_winner_padraig_harringt_16">Justin Timberlake</a> in Las Vegas - at least shows Garcia is thinking of someone besides himself. That alone is hard for many pampered pro athletes to comprehend.</p>

<p>But there was Garcia dedicating his victory at the Castello Masters at the course where his dad is the club pro to <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/dot.wong/2008/10/16/harrington_wins_player_of_the_year_award">Seve Ballesteros</a>, the Spanish golf legend in a Madrid hospital fighting brain cancer.</p>

<p>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t help but think about Seve,&#8221; Garcia said. &#8220;I&#8217;m sending all my love to him and his family and hope he recovers soon. I hope this victory helps him to get a little better.&#8221;</p>

<p>Sure, it&#8217;s much easier to be classy in victory than defeat. But that&#8217;s still a first rate move by Garcia, someone who&#8217;s always been thought of well by tournament volunteers, someone who just needs to get over trying to dismiss his major failings as a fluke.</p>
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					<title>Bad role model Jonas Brothers have no golf loving Justin Timberlake staying power</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/25/bad_role_model_jonas_brothers_have_no_go</link>
					<pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2008 05:53:03 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7098@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>I think we all can agree that the Jonas Brothers are really bad role models. Three teen twits who wear chastity rings and talk about their Christian faith even as they ruthlessly rack in millions of dollars from the pop ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think we all can agree that the <a href="http://jonasbrotherscentral.com/">Jonas Brothers</a> are really bad role models. Three teen twits who wear chastity rings and talk about their Christian faith even as they ruthlessly rack in millions of dollars from the pop music industry - a business which may be only second to Enron when it comes to having questionable morale history.</p>

<p>These guys are being held up as an ideal for America&#8217;s youth? Why not just break out the old Cheech &amp; Chong flicks from the early 1980s, show them to your kids, and be done with it? For you&#8217;re not getting any good out of these Jonas boys - unless you want to teach your preteen daughter to drool over no-talent hacks. And if that&#8217;s the case, why not just hold up <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavor_Flav">Flavor Flav</a> as the heartthrob? </p>

<p>It&#8217;s not bad enough that Jonas Brothers&#8217; songs - and that&#8217;s using the term songs very liberally - like &#8220;Tonight&#8221; are more pathetic than the Hanson Brothers&#8217; worst efforts. Or that their <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/07/23/the-new-issue-of-rolling-stone-the-jonas-brothers/">Rolling Stone cover</a> is the lamest pose in a history of pop music that includes years of New Kids On The Block preening.</p>

<p>What&#8217;s worse is that the Jonas Brothers use their father being a ordained minister back story to build up the hype - while reports say they donated only 10 percent of the $12 million they earned in 2007 to charity. You&#8217;d think that the guys who are holding themselves out as the supreme example would contribute more than the standard 10 percent tithing recommended in the Bible, but I guess they need those millions to live their simple lives of virtue.</p>

<p>Chastity rings apparently got really pricey during this recession.</p>

<p>The only thing that&#8217;s encouraging about this whole Jonas Brothers craze is that it&#8217;s just that - a passing fancy. The Jonas boys will never hold the staying power of real music superstar/legit role model/golf lover <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2006/01/25/i_love_justin_timberlake_confessions_hur">Justin Timberlake</a>.</p>

<p>Timberlake just raised more than $1 million for the Shriners&#8217; Hospital for Children in only one week hosting Las Vegas&#8217; PGA Tour event. He also managed to increase attendance by 50 percent at a tournament that&#8217;s long been regulated to a horrible spot in the schedule by the Tour.</p>

<p>That&#8217;s an icon who makes a difference. And still Timberlake is one of the more humble celebs you&#8217;ll ever come across.</p>

<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not here as some dude who writes goofy songs,&#8221; Timberlake said at a Barack Obama rally in Vegas. &#8220;Me and (girlfriend) Jessica (Biel), we&#8217;re here as Americans. We&#8217;re here as humans because this is something we had to do.&#8221;</p>

<p>See Timberlake is man enough to take cracks at his own music.</p>

<p>Take note Jonas bros. Real stars don&#8217;t preach. They don&#8217;t tell you how to live your life. They just make a difference by getting involved in things - sometimes even a golf tournament.</p>

<p>Of course, real stars also have talent.</p>

<p>In closing, I&#8217;d like to dedicate this blog to the <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum">largest liberal loon</a> out there. You know who you are.</p>
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					<title>Just how conservative is golf? Seventy percent of teaching pros favor McCain over Obama</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/22/just_how_conservative_is_golf_seventy_pe</link>
					<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:33:01 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7090@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>It&#8217;s always amusing how many people still don&#8217;t grasp how conservative golf and most average every day golfers are. Here at TravelGolf.com where all types of voices are thankfully encouraged, you could actually think there are a ton of liberal ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s always amusing how many people still don&#8217;t grasp how conservative golf and most average every day golfers are. Here at <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/">TravelGolf.com</a> where all types of voices are thankfully encouraged, you could actually think there are a ton of liberal loony golfers out there by reading the likes of <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum">William &#8220;Huffington Post&#8221; Wolfrum</a> and the wacky college professor <a href="http://travelgolf.com/blogs/kiel.christianson">Kiel Christianson</a>. </p>

<p>But a poll in this week&#8217;s Golf Plus section of <em>Sports Illustrated</em> displays the real truth yet again.</p>

<p>Seventy percent of the Top 100 Teachers Poll in <em>SI</em> declared that <a href="http://www.badgolfer.com/departments/features/john-mccain-leads-barack-obama-in-poll-of-golf-club-throwers-satire-7977.htm">John McCain</a> is the better presidential candidate for golf than <a href="http://www.badgolfer.com/departments/features/barack-obama-tiger-woods-design-golf-resorts-satire-7863.htm">Barack Obama</a>.</p>

<p>Now, the Top 100 Teachers obviously rake in much more cash than your average run-of-the-mill pro running a modest golf shop. But here&#8217;s betting that the numbers would still be overwhelming tilted toward McCain if a much larger poll of head pros around the country was conducted. Still 60 to 65 percent easy.</p>

<p>The golf industry&#8217;s tenants of working hard to get where you&#8217;re at (becoming a head pro anywhere is no cake walk and there are no handout head spots), waking up early to get things down and concentrating on your family fits in with conservative thinking.</p>

<p>The one pro <em>SI</em> quoted was part of the 30 percent minority pulling for Obama. &#8220;The middle class golfer is being squeezed,&#8221; Kevin Walker of Fuzion Golf said, &#8220;and Obama will benefit that group.&#8221;</p>

<p>Truth is, I&#8217;m not sure that I don&#8217;t agree with Walker. At least somewhat. But most of you reading this don&#8217;t. Golf&#8217;s just so entrenched with conservative ideals that no one repeating &#8220;Change&#8221; over and over again is going to be able to convince anyone they&#8217;re right. Of course, most people in the golf media don&#8217;t realize this.</p>

<p>They think they&#8217;re writing for a bunch of Obama believers. When they&#8217;re just writing for themselves. And each other - if you have a Wolfrum and a Kiel on the same staff.</p>
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					<title>Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos stand up to the Las Vegas visitor test</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/21/mississippi_gulf_coast_casinos_stand_up_</link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:36:16 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7084@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>If you&#8217;ve ever been to Las Vegas, you understandably become wary of any other gaming destination. Other places usually completely embarrass themselves when they try to stand up as a Vegas alternative.

Take the casinos in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area. I don&#8217;t ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;ve ever been to <a href="http://www.lasvegasgolf.com/">Las Vegas</a>, you understandably become wary of any other gaming destination. Other places usually completely embarrass themselves when they try to stand up as a Vegas alternative.</p>

<p>Take the casinos in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area. I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ve ever seen more than two people under the age of 65 in any of them at the same time. For good reason. They&#8217;re largely depressing places centered around slot machines rather than the hip excitement centers of The Strip.</p>

<p>Even the retooled and reimagined <a href="http://www.golfnewyork.com/feature-stories/atlantic-city-golf-courses-4537.htm">Atlantic City</a> comes off as a lame attempt to try and catch up with Vegas. Atlantic City is only good if you&#8217;re a hardcore whale (or a golfer, the golf is better than the casinos). Sin City&#8217;s for everyone.</p>

<p>So it&#8217;s natural to assume that other destinations that claim &#8220;good gambling&#8221; are going to disappoint.</p>

<p>Only Biloxi, Mississippi doesn&#8217;t. I know you&#8217;re thinking <em>Biloxi</em> if you&#8217;re one of those stuck up East Coasters who believes they&#8217;re superior to everyone else, the kind of person who delights in ripping on Sarah Palin&#8217;s supposed lack of intelligence. But chill. Yes, Biloxi. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is dotted with big casino resorts that deliver a fun experience. One where you&#8217;ll actually see plenty of young people.</p>

<p>I actually got invited to a toga party by some co-eds while staying at the Hard Rock Hotel Biloxi - and if <em>I&#8217;m</em> getting invited, anyone can have fun there.</p>

<p>No, it&#8217;s still not a second Las Vegas or anything. There&#8217;s only one of those. But you don&#8217;t really need it to be with the great reasonably priced nature golf and the top notch deep sea fishing available on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to go with the gaming. The casinos in Biloxi are largely brand new with lush tricked out rooms that include flat screen TVs and plush bedding.</p>

<p>Read the full story on <a href="http://www.gulfcoastgolf.com/feature-stories/mississippi/mississippi-gulf-coast-biloxi-gaming-tables-golf-courses-8800.htm">Biloxi&#8217;s gambling scene here</a> at <a href="http://www.gulfcoastgolf.com/">GulfCoastGolf.com</a>. You&#8217;ll find out that I&#8217;m not the only one who thinks Biloxi deserves to be included in a discussion headlined by Las Vegas and Monte Carlo.</p>
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					<title>Fred Couples naming Michael Jordan Presidents Cup assistant as shameful as John Daly using Jon Gruden as his caddie</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/16/fred_couples_naming_michael_jordan_presi</link>
					<pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:44:15 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7073@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>Remember when John Daly pulled Tampa Bay Bucs coach Jon Gruden out of the beer tent to be his caddie and was rightly largely crucified for it? How PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem who is the only one in sports ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Remember when <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/05/01/john_daly_takes_his_golf_love_even_farth">John Daly</a> pulled Tampa Bay Bucs coach <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/03/06/john_daly_continues_to_mock_pga_tour_by_">Jon Gruden</a> out of the beer tent to be his caddie and was rightly largely crucified for it? How PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem who is the only one in sports who is even more discipline wimpy than Cowboys owner Jerry Jones brought in Daly to talk about his penchant for making a mockery of the game?</p>

<p>Well, Fred Couples is threatening to one up Daly with a move that&#8217;s even more ridiculous - and amazingly apparently thought out. Making it even worse, Couples is doing it after being put in a leadership position in golf.</p>

<p>In one of his first appearances as the 2009 U.S. President&#8217;s Cup captain, Couples came out and named Michael Jordan as an assistant captain. Yes, the basketball legend Jordan who fooled the public into believing he was a good guy even while he punched teammates like Steve Kerr and intimidated the NBA&#8217;s pathetic referees for years with his star presence. This is the man Couples decides will help the U.S. team win the first big international competition since the Ryder Cup.</p>

<p>Sure, Jordan is a golf nut who can actually get Tiger Woods on the phone (unlike Finchem). And His Airness turned himself into something of a silly mascot at the Ryder Cup, rubbing European captain Nick Faldo&#8217;s shoulders at one point to the delight of the TNT cameras who couldn&#8217;t get enough of it - or stop showing it. But what qualifications does he have exactly to give Boo Weekley and Co. advice on golf?</p>

<p>None more than what Gruden had to lug around Daly&#8217;s bag during an official PGA Tour round.</p>

<p>This would be the equivalent of Dodgers manager Joe Torre bringing in Bill Russell to sit in the LA dugout during the playoffs and stare at the Phillies (though considering how that series worked out, maybe Torre should have considered it).</p>

<p>The only good thing about Couples making a mockery of golf by giving a celebrity hanger on official status is it shows just how ridiculous and overrated these captain positions in the Ryder and Presidents Cup are. There is no coaching job in sport that has such little effect on the competition. Again, Paul Azinger&#8217;s role in that Ryder Cup win couldn&#8217;t have been more overplayed or exaggerated by a fawning media looking for the easy story.</p>

<p>You don&#8217;t have to be the brightest bulb in the pack to captain a Ryder or Presidents Cup team.</p>

<p>Couples proved that more than he ever knows with his blatant Michael Jordan idol worship. If you&#8217;re going to go this far and spit on the game to get your kicks, why not just name Angelina Jolie as the U.S. squad&#8217;s official morale booster too and get her to parade around San Francisco&#8217;s Harding Park in a skin tight cat suit during the event?</p>

<p>Only in golf, do guys like Freddie Couples show such little respect for the game. Not that you should be happy in you&#8217;re a Charlotte Bobcats fan either. Last I heard, Jordan was still screwing up another NBA team&#8217;s roster with his part-time, commuting approach to being a GM.</p>

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					<title>Phil Mickelson proves he's no fake phony with incredibly bad acting on HBO's Entourage</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/15/phil_mickelson_proves_he_s_no_fake_phony</link>
					<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:47:40 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7060@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>The most frequent criticism of Phil Mickelson is that he&#8217;s fake, a complete phony, nothing but an actor. While Mickelson pretty much drop kicked that theory for eternity with his performance in this week&#8217;s Entourage.

Mickelson has proven without a shadow ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The most frequent criticism of <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2006/04/19/leave_it_to_phil_mickelson_to_mess_with">Phil Mickelson</a> is that he&#8217;s fake, a complete phony, nothing but an actor. While Mickelson pretty much drop kicked that theory for eternity with his performance in this week&#8217;s <em>Entourage</em>.</p>

<p>Mickelson has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he cannot act. At all.</p>

<p>Even when he&#8217;s playing himself.</p>

<p>Heck, Mickelson couldn&#8217;t pull off a supporting role in a junior high school play, let alone fool the American public for more than 15 years. He&#8217;s unbelievably horrid at this pretend game. And it&#8217;s not like <em>Entourage</em> - which may have gone from good to comically bad faster than any TV series in history and certainly any HBO one - has high standards anymore.</p>

<p>But Mickelson managed to live down to them and go even lower. He wore this off-kilter grin on his face his whole appearance (which went on way, way too long). And no, not the usual goofy Phil grin. This one was clearly fake. Mickelson couldn&#8217;t have looked more out of place than if he stumbled upon the filming of a Jane Fonda reunion workout video.</p>

<p><em>Entourage</em> is a show full of golf lovers, from executive producer Mark Wahlberg on down to cast members like Kevin Dillon (Dillon did a <a href="http://www.badgolfer.com/departments/features/kevin-dillon-entourage-hbo-johnny-drama-golf-6155.htm">BadGolfer.com interview</a> on his love of golf, one in which he takes a shot at Mickelson for Winged Foot). So it&#8217;s easy to see why they wanted Phil Mickelson on the show. But they couldn&#8217;t find a better way to use him than have him flashing that omnipresent fake grin (again not the real Mickelson goof grin) as the Phil Mickelson teaching pro to super agent Ari Gold&#8217;s big studio rival, the one who won&#8217;t let Vincent Chase into that ridiculous-sounding firefighters movie?</p>

<p>You have Phil Mickelson playing Phil Mickelson. At least make him as interesting as he is in those Crown Plaza commercials. Have Mickelson gamble away one of his houses. Or let rip with some real moaning gripes about Tiger Woods. Hey, they would have the guts to do it on <em>30 Rock</em>.</p>

<p>Instead, <em>Entourage</em> manages to waste Mickelson too. Including in one of the worst forced coincidence scenes ever with Gold&#8217;s nemesis having a heart attack on the green (with Mickelson in arguably the most pathetic fake sympathy crouch in acting history) so Vince can get into the movie.</p>

<p>About the only thing good about this appearance is that it showed that Jeremy Piven really is as horrible a golfer as everyone says he is. How bad is Piven, who tried to play good golf as Gold? Even I could beat him.</p>

<p>Mickelson might be happy he proved he couldn&#8217;t fake his way to a free stick of gum though. Turns out, everyone might know the real Phil after all.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title>Enough with comparing Tiger Woods' new, unfinished Baja coast course to Pebble Beach</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/10/enough_with_comparing_tiger_woods_new_un</link>
					<pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:12:22 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7046@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>I&#8217;m not one of those bitter buffoons in the golf world who rip on everything that Tiger Woods does because they think it makes them counter cultural and edgy or something. I&#8217;m not one of those liberal loons who whines ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m not one of those <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/tim.mcdonald">bitter buffoons</a> in the golf world who rip on everything that <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/tim.mcdonald/2008/10/08/tiger_woods_let_s_have_a_little_more_hon">Tiger Woods</a> does because they think it makes them counter cultural and edgy or something. I&#8217;m not one of those <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum">liberal loons</a> who whines that Tiger should be making courses for inner city golfers all while they themselves are being promoted by huge money elitist websites such as the <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/09/19/obviously_running_out_of_liberal_losers_">Huffington Post</a>.</p>

<p>But with that said, Tiger Woods is making the kind of mistake with his new Punta Brava course that Tiger never makes.</p>

<p>He&#8217;s way overhyping it. This from the guy who always underplays everything. That&#8217;s been part of Tiger&#8217;s brilliance. When other lesser golfers (and every golfer who&#8217;s ever played is lesser to Tiger Woods) pat themselves on the back and try to play up their modest accomplishments into near legends, Tiger always goes completely the other way.</p>

<p>He downplays the knee that has him limping at Torrey Pines and pulls off the win in the greatest U.S. Open ever - while still being smart and aware enough to tell the drooling media fools that no, it doesn&#8217;t compare to Ben Hogan. Hogan was hit by a freaking Greyhound bus.</p>

<p>Tiger&#8217;s always understood that by not going too crazy over himself, he builds even more of an aura and gains more historical respect. But what he&#8217;s doing with his new golf course on the Baja coast of Mexico, the one that&#8217;s not even going to be completed for another three years?</p>

<p>He&#8217;s trying to brand it as Mexico&#8217;s Pebble Beach. He&#8217;s giving the type of 1-on-1 interviews he never gives at a swank Beverly Hills hotel (even if they five totally controlled minutes each, that&#8217;s still way more than Tiger usually does). He&#8217;s almost turning into just another salesman.</p>

<p>Obviously, a lot of this has to do with the fact that the owner that is paying him many, many, many, many crazy millions to design this $100 million course is trying to build buzz. But Mexico&#8217;s Pebble Beach? Before it&#8217;s even close to being much more than some nice land on the ocean?</p>

<p>Here&#8217;s a newsflash for the fawning sportswriters who&#8217;ve been dutifully repeating the Mexico&#8217;s Pebble Beach spin: the Baja coast already has some pretty damn spectacular ocean courses. Many of them are even public. Jack Nicklaus&#8217; Cabo del Sol Ocean Course brings you awfully close to the surf. Cabo Real is almost just as good (though Palmilla&#8217;s 27 holes are overrated). And that&#8217;s just a few of the <em>public</em> golf courses in the Cabo corridor that have been around for years.</p>

<p>I go to Cabo at least once or twice every year for this job and my next trip is already set up for early this winter. I&#8217;ll probably try to make a side trip to see the Punta Brava site too. So I&#8217;ll be adding at least another story to the hype (though an honest one). But truth is, if you know golf in that part of Mexico and appreciate something unique, you might be more excited to see what Arthur Hills has done on a peninsula near the town of <a href="http://www.golfcourserealty.com/features/paraiso-del-mar-to-open-arthur-hills-course-la-paz-mexico-8433.htm">La Paz</a>, a course that will actually open this year.</p>

<p>And one that regular resort guest golfers can play.</p>

<p>Mexico&#8217;s Pebble Beach? Three years early? Come on Tiger, you&#8217;re better than that type of hyperbole. You always have been.</p>

<p> </p>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title>Underrated Madrid deserves 2018 Ryder Cup, sans Sergio Garcia</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/09/underrated_madrid_deserves_2018_ryder_cu</link>
					<pubDate>Thu,  9 Oct 2008 05:04:57 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7043@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>Madrid is one of the great underrated cities in Europe. You rarely see it mentioned in the same breath as Paris, London or what too many assume is its Spanish superior Barcelona.

It&#8217;s taking a step toward changing that with the ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/news/europga/charl-schwartzel-wins-2007-open-de-espana-5277.htm">Madrid</a> is one of the great underrated cities in Europe. You rarely see it mentioned in the same breath as Paris, London or what too many assume is its Spanish superior Barcelona.</p>

<p>It&#8217;s taking a step toward changing that with the announcement today that it&#8217;s bidding for the 2018 <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2008/09/22/boo_weekley_deserves_lifetime_ryder_cup__2010">Ryder Cup</a>.</p>

<p>Here&#8217;s hoping that Madrid gets it and more people start discovering Spain&#8217;s other jewel. One of my all time favorite vacations took place in Madrid. Now this was well before I started at <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/">TravelGolf.com</a>, before I could get on some of the best golf courses in the world for work, so I&#8217;d be lying if I said I experienced a lot of the area&#8217;s golf firsthand. This all came before 9-11 too, definitely back in a completely different economic time, so I can&#8217;t say that everything is the same.</p>

<p>But what I remember most about Madrid is how incredible the food was and how cheap even the best of the best restaurants were. One night we had a nine-course tasting menu with wine for less than $100 American. It&#8217;s one of the great walkable cities too and unlike in Paris or Brussels, the people actually at least pretend like they are happy to have tourists there. I got this incredible handmade suit from a local tailor at a great price that the guy finished in less than five days and I still have some of the dress shirts I picked up at the same shop that make a mockery of the $75 same-as-everyone-else&#8217;s dress shirts that so many American businessmen wear.</p>

<p>Madrid would be a great Ryder Cup host - with a new course being built out in the suburbs with the event in mind. Of course, it&#8217;d be even better if <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2008/10/02/2008_was_a_good_year_for_sergio_garcia">Sergio Garcia</a> wasn&#8217;t a major factor by then. Then, the Spanish wouldn&#8217;t have to watch their own Gag Garcia cough another big one up.</p>

<p>Of course, WorldGolf.com&#8217;s own <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker">Brandon Tucker</a> will probably predict that Sergio will have broken <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/tim.mcdonald/2008/10/03/book_it_jack_nicklaus_major_record_safe_">Tiger Woods&#8217; majors</a> record by 2018.</p>

<p>Then again, Garcia is the most compelling figure in golf. Like Madrid is the most underrated city in Europe. </p>


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					<title>Donald Trump's $28 million Colts Neck, New Jersey course buy shows his golf cents</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/08/donald_trump_s_28_million_colts_neck_new</link>
					<pubDate>Wed,  8 Oct 2008 08:02:41 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7038@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>Donald Trump buying the club formerly known as Shadow Isle (it was immediately renamed Trump National before the ink even dried on the contracts of course) in Colts Neck, N.J. is arguably the least reported and commented on major Trump ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2006/11/10/siding_with_donald_trump_s_new_golf_reso">Donald Trump</a> buying the club formerly known as <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/courses/usa/newjersey/coltsneck/shadow-isle-golf-course.html">Shadow Isle</a> (it was immediately renamed Trump National before the ink even dried on the contracts of course) in Colts Neck, N.J. is arguably the least reported and commented on major Trump acquisition ever. None of the golf magazines have done big stories on it and since there&#8217;s not some wacky self-anointed shepherd vowing to put his garbage outside to annoy Trump off the land, you can be certain  HBO&#8217;s Real Sports will not be visiting either.</p>

<p>But by spending $28 million to purchase a private golf course in a time when everyone else in big business seems to be hiding under their desk and waiting for Uncle Sam to roll in with Brinks Trucks, Trump is sticking by the ignore-the-fear business approach he talked about with <a href="http://www.golfcourserealty.com/">GolfCourseRealty.com</a> almost a year ago. Back when the economy was bad, but nowhere close to as panicked as things are now.</p>

<p>&#8220;When other people get jumpy or short sighted, you can make a lot of money,&#8221; <a href="http://www.golfcourserealty.com/features/donald-trump-exclusive-interview-golf-course-real-estate-development-6224.htm">Trump said then</a>. &#8220;I&#8217;ve made a lot of money going against the crowd.&#8221;</p>

<p>It says something that Trump is still doing that in golf today. Shadow Isle failed pretty miserably under its previous owners, but Trump is already pouring more money into it, planning to bring in Tom Fazio to tweak a Jerry Pate design that only opened in 2005, already having ordered the immediate widening of the entrance drive (the better to fit those Trump limo fleets).</p>

<p>If you&#8217;re not familiar with central New Jersey (and few people who haven&#8217;t lived there are), Colts Neck is an interesting area. It&#8217;s a rich man&#8217;s enclave that&#8217;s close to the Jersey Shore, but isn&#8217;t actually on any water. Instead it&#8217;s old horse country turned into McMansion country. It&#8217;s about an hour from Manhattan and many of its residents work for New York&#8217;s financial firms, leaving it with a disproportionate number of victims in 9-11 (with most of those having worked at Cantor Fitzgerald, stuck on one of the highest floors) and certainly many economic nervous folks today.</p>

<p>One of the most emotionally gut-wrenching assignments I ever had as newspaper journalist was covering the dedication of a Colts Neck Little League field to fathers/youth coaches who&#8217;d perished in the Twin Towers. The grace and strength those widows with small children showed (not to mention their patience with a reporter asking questions in a tough time) has always made me root for the people of Colts Neck. </p>

<p>Home owners in Colts Neck have largely embraced Trump coming in, so with no juicy controversy for all those folks who can&#8217;t stand Trump, there doesn&#8217;t figure to be major national coverage elsewhere. But you can still read about Trump Natonal Colts Neck in the coming weeks at <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/">WorldGolf.com</a>.</p>

<p>The difference between the federal government coming in to bail out Wall Street firms and Donald Trump coming in to bail out a private club largely made up of Wall Street golfers is that you can be sure that The Donald will find a way to make a nice profit. Unlike the suits throwing away your tax dollars.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title>Wisconsin's U.S. Open lock Erin Hills a better overall golf destination than 2015 U.S. Open host wonder Chambers Bay</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/05/wisconsin_s_u_s_open_lock_erin_hills_a_b</link>
					<pubDate>Sun,  5 Oct 2008 21:47:07 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7030@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>Chambers Bay and Erin Hills have something of a natural rivalry - even though they are more than 1,700 miles apart. They are the United States Golf Association&#8217;s beloved babies, two public courses that burst onto the scene in the ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/courses/usa/washington/tacoma/chambers-bay.html">Chambers Bay</a> and <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/karen.palacios.jansen/2007/07/02/playing_some_great_wisconsin_golf_course">Erin Hills</a> have something of a natural rivalry - even though they are more than 1,700 miles apart. They are the United States Golf Association&#8217;s beloved babies, two public courses that burst onto the scene in the last few years, deemed to be championship material even before Average Joe Public ever hit a tee shot on either.</p>

<p>Chambers Bay already has been awarded the 2015 U.S. Open and Erin Hills is considered such a lock to get the 2017 U.S. Open that you&#8217;d be hard pressed to find anyone in even Vegas who would provide odds against that. No matter how many times Erin Hills owner Bob Lang says that&#8217;s up to the USGA and Erin Hills is just honored to be considered.</p>

<p>USGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions Mike Davis - the man whose brilliant course setup at Torrey Pines helped produce the <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/06/16/tiger_woods_wins_greatest_u_s_open_ever_">greatest U.S. Open ever</a> - loves both Chambers and Erin and has done his best to eliminate any rivalry. Regardless, it still exists.</p>

<p>Having now experienced both Chambers Bay and Erin Hills, it&#8217;s time to compare. Nothing can come close to Chambers Bay&#8217;s arrival scene, to pulling up to that clubhouse on the big hill and looking down at the course rolling out toward the striking blue water of Puget Sound. Chambers Bay is a TV executive&#8217;s wet dream.</p>

<p>And I enjoyed the Chambers Bay course itself a little more than my round at Erin Hills (though I had postcard perfect blue sky weather at Chambers and a gray, drab links type of day at Erin, which might account for some of the difference in feeling).  Not all, but some. There&#8217;s just something about shooting toward the water and because of its geography in the middle of Wisconsin, Erin Hills will never be able to match that particular Chambers&#8217; wow factor.</p>

<p>Still, with that said, Erin Hills is undoubtedly the better overall golf destination.</p>

<p>It can be a getaway just of its own, one of those trips with the buddies that you&#8217;ll never forget. You can literally stay in Erin Hills&#8217; clubhouse, with eight rooms upstairs in a wood building that&#8217;s the best approximation of a little Irish pub and inn you&#8217;ll see in the U.S. It&#8217;s like being out on a remote farm with nothing to think about except golf - only it&#8217;s 40 minutes drive from downtown Milwaukee. You&#8217;ll love playing Chambers Bay, but Erin Hills delivers the play and the better adventure.</p>

<p>It&#8217;s a near Bandon Dunes retreat experience - without having to drive hours to the middle of nowhere. It only feels like it&#8217;s in the middle of nowhere.</p>

<p>At Chambers, you&#8217;ll just talk about the course. At Erin Hills, you&#8217;ll talk about the course and everything else.</p>

<p>Another thing that gives Erin Hills a big advantage in terms of an overall golf trip is the quality of the courses within range of it. Brown Deer Golf Club - the old Milwaukee muni that hosts the PGA Tour every year - surprised me with how fun it was to play. And Whistling Straits is close enough to Erin Hills to gorge on great Wisconsin golf in one longer trip.</p>

<p>The Seattle/Tacoma area is a fine enough place to visit and the course has set up stay and play packages with a boutique hotel in Tacoma to try and add a destination feel, but there simply aren&#8217;t any other golf courses in the region close to being in Chambers Bay&#8217;s league.</p>

<p>For much more on Wisconsin golf - including plenty on Erin Hills and its USGA tweaking, which starts tomorrow - stay tuned to the new enhanced and revamped <a href="http://www.wisconsingolf.com/">WisconsinGolf.com</a> over the next several weeks. For my full review of Chambers Bay, the course that delivers more theater than any other, <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/departments/coursereviews/washington/chambers-bay-golf-course-tacoma-washington-6973.htm">click here</a>.</p>


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					<title>Jennie Garth commenting on Paul Newman equivalent to Stephen Ames breaking down Jack Nicklaus' swing</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/10/01/jennie_garth_commenting_on_paul_newman_e</link>
					<pubDate>Wed,  1 Oct 2008 06:08:56 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7013@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>You can&#8217;t say enough things about Paul Newman, a great actor who judging by his charity work seemed to be just as good a guy. Newman was one of those real men who people think that America used to produce ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You can&#8217;t say enough things about <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_10604386">Paul Newman</a>, a great actor who judging by his charity work seemed to be just as good a guy. Newman was one of those real men who people think that America used to produce a lot more of (but in truth, are rare in any generation, including <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/tim.mcdonald">Newman&#8217;s</a>.)</p>

<p>So all the tributes for the deceased Newman are wonderful to see. Except when <a href="http://jennie-garth.org/">Jennie Garth</a> gets involved.</p>

<p>But there was Garth featured discussing Newman&#8217;s career in one of those entertainment shows (I stumbled across it clicking). Now, Garth used to be a pretty hot blonde during her 90210 days (though not in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005485/">Tiffani Amber Thiessen&#8217;s</a> league) and it&#8217;s nice that she&#8217;s trying to beat a few more paychecks out of that tired 90210 remake on The CW rather than ending up in one of those zonked out ex-celebrity police mug shots that many of her caliber peers have.</p>

<p>But Jennie Garth commenting on Paul Newman&#8217;s acting would be like Stephen Ames breaking down <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2006/05/31/jack_nicklaus_mostly_overrated_as_a_desi">Jack Nicklaus&#8217;</a> swing. Or softball guy sauntering up to Ryan Howard and delivering home run hitting tips. Or TravelGolf.com blogger of tongues <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon">RonMon</a> ripping on <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon/2008/09/14/travelin_joe_must_go">Travelin&#8217; Joe</a>.</p>

<p>Sometimes you just have to know when you&#8217;re reaching out of your league. No one needs to hear Jennie Garth giving interviews on Paul Newman.</p>

<p>Though, I&#8217;m sure Lifetime could use her in another movie of the week.</p>
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					<title>Sergio Garcia forever cements his rep as Choke Garcia with summer of gags, including one final one in Tour Championship</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/09/28/sergio_garcia_forever_cements_his_rep_as</link>
					<pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:45:19 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">7008@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>This should have been the summer when Sergio Garcia established himself as a dominant star who deserved to be talked about as the next best player in the Tiger Woods&#8217; era. Instead, it turned into the time when Garcia&#8217;s rep ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This should have been the summer when <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/08/24/sergio_garcia_s_pga_championship_pain_co">Sergio Garcia</a> established himself as a dominant star who deserved to be talked about as the next best player in the Tiger Woods&#8217; era. Instead, it turned into the time when Garcia&#8217;s rep was forever cemented as being one of the worst gag artists in all of sports.</p>

<p>First, Garcia blew a PGA Championship he should have won by somehow finding the water on the 70th hole at Oakland Hills. Then, he coughed up the first FedEx Cup tournament by going into near spastic premature celebration in New Jersey, giving himself no chance in the playoff when Vijay Singh shocked him by hitting a putt bomb back. And it fittingly ended in the <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon/2008/09/28/fedex_cup_points_distribution_formula_tu">Tour Championship</a> today with Garcia once again coming up small in a final round, shooting a 1-over 71 and allowing Camilo Villegas to win it with a par on a very birdieable first playoff hole.</p>

<p>You can also bet that Nick Faldo will not soon forget how easily Anthony Kim rolled over Garcia in the Ryder Cup either.</p>

<p>The truth is no one played better golf than Sergio Garcia this summer. No one struck the ball truer more consistently. And he has absolutely nothing but some more meaningless runner-up checks to show for it (unless you&#8217;re his accountant, than they&#8217;re plenty meaningful).</p>

<p>Coughing it up once in a big spot is to be expected in golf. You can even understand twice. But four times in one summer alone? There&#8217;s no denying that truth. And it&#8217;s fair to wonder if Garcia will ever recover and reach his true potential now.</p>

<p>It&#8217;s sad. Because in many ways, Sergio Garcia also showed why he is the most compelling figure in all of golf - including that dad on crutches - this summer too. There&#8217;s no more fascinating figure out there - and now he just looks like a pathetic foil.</p>







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					<title>Paul Azinger goes Mike Krzyzewski, congratulates himself a little too much for Ryder Cup win</title>
					<link>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/09/22/paul_azinger_goes_mike_krzyzewski_congra</link>
					<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:01:17 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator>Chris Baldwin</dc:creator>
					<category domain="main">General</category>					<guid isPermaLink="false">6988@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/</guid>
					<description>Paul Azinger didn&#8217;t win back the Ryder Cup for America. Azinger wasn&#8217;t the one out there making those putts - and it&#8217;s about time he remembers that.

Coaches get way too much credit in all sports (except Mike Martz, that guy ...</description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2008/09/21/can_t_blame_nick_faldo_for_garcia_harrin">Paul Azinger</a> didn&#8217;t win back the <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/tim.mcdonald/2008/09/21/proper_brit_lee_westwood_meets_southern_">Ryder Cup</a> for America. Azinger wasn&#8217;t the one out there making those putts - and it&#8217;s about time he remembers that.</p>

<p>Coaches get way too much credit in all sports (except Mike Martz, that guy is a real offensive genius - just see the <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2008/08/08/a_67_from_ben_curtis_at_pga_championship">Detroit Lions</a> without him). It&#8217;s part of the deal, with most sportswriters being unduly obsessed and impressed with coaches. The problem comes in when a coach tries to give himself even more credit.</p>

<p>And that&#8217;s what U.S. captain Paul Azinger seemed to do after the Ryder Cup.</p>

<p>&#8220;I poured my heart and soul into this for two years,&#8221; Azinger told the <em>Associated Press</em>. &#8220;The players poured their heart and soul into this for one week. They deserved it. I couldn&#8217;t be happier.&#8221;</p>

<p>Azinger made it sound like his two years of watching who was playing well (most people call this being a fan by the way and really what else does the Ryder Cup captain do before picking his wildcards?) outweighed the great week of actual golf work the U.S. players put in. That&#8217;s creeping into Mike Krzyzewksi territory, being a gasbag coach who makes it all about him - in an eloquent, contrived way of course.</p>

<p>The U.S. players and fans acted fine with their conduct during the Ryder Cup (sorry wimpy golf traditionalists, sometimes actual sports does creep into the game and you&#8217;ll have some raw moments of emotion). It&#8217;s the U.S. Captain who lost me by going all self congratulatory. Azinger sounded like Coach K. after the U.S. Men&#8217;s Basketball Team managed to put the gold medal game in doubt despite severly out-talenting the Spainish squad. Like the fake Krzyzewski often does, Azinger tried to paint things much more noble and favoring him than they needed to be.</p>

<p>Just give the players credit and step aside. The fawning press will give you more than enough praise. There&#8217;s no need to endlessly pat yourself on the back too. It&#8217;s not a great human struggle that you masterfully orchestrated. It&#8217;s sports.</p>

<p>Azinger did a fine job - but was his selection of the surprisingly effective Chad Campbell really any better than Nick Faldo&#8217;s pick of the surprisingly dominant Ian Poulter?</p>

<p>It&#8217;s the players who made the difference. This isn&#8217;t all about you, Paul. No matter how sweet you think you looked holding that walkie-talkie.</p>

<p>Remember for a complete live wrapup from Louisville, read Brandon Tucker&#8217;s multiple stories on the front of <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/">WorldGolf.com</a> this morning and check out BTuck&#8217;s <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker">blog</a>.</p>

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